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| - Mattie's could make for a movie set, and I think it's an odd case of reality mimicking our fantasy of a diner. Unlike a lot of places though, this feels authentic. The owners put this silver car on the back of a flap-top truck and drove it all the way from New Jersey. Now, they grill burgers on a flap-top grill, and us Charlotteans are eating the history and the food.
I work by this no-frills place during the week, so it's been on the to-do docket for months. It's not a big item off of a Bucket list, but it's something I'm glad to have experienced.
The service comes across as one family organized around being attentive. There's a dynamic range in the wait-staff's ages and sarcasm. In between jokes, I found it pretty hard to believe that Mattie's hasn't been here since the 50s. Each table comes fitted with a jukebox with an iTunes-like variety.
I didn't go for the breakfast menu, but you can order off of it whenever you want. I went for a "Blackened Blue" burger (blackened burger spices with blue cheese). The patty is about as thick as a deck and a half of cards, and though a little salty, there are some flavors that remind me of what burgers ought to be like. The toasted bun should be a model for many others: with a slight crunch and no squish, it's like Mattie's has exported my backyard cook-out bun like the diner car.
A menu as big as the servers' hearts means you can always come back. There are some clever names ("Where's the Beef" wrap and the "SOS"), and plenty of sweeter choices, too. The milkshakes look awesome, and after some savory burgers and disco fries, an ice cream shake is mandatory.
It had a history in Jersey, but it's starting to build one here in Charlotte.
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